WWhisky From Japan Browse bottles ↗

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A buying guide written in Japan

Japanese whisky,
without the guesswork.

Shelf prices in yen. Real availability. The gap between what a bottle costs here and what it costs abroad.

Browse the bottle archive ↗See the price gap
Suntory Torys ClassicBlack Nikka ClearSuntory Kakubin FROM THE
JAPAN SHELF
¥Japanese shelf price
01Availability, not vague “rarity”
×Japan versus overseas

Find your way in

Explore by what matters at the shelf

Choose a starting point. Every route ends at a bottle guide with the Japanese price and buying reality.

01

Price in Japan

Under ¥5,00017¥5,000–10,00017¥10,000–20,0009¥20,000–50,0003Over ¥50,0003
02

How hard to buy

27On the shelf16Allocated3Lottery only3Secondary market only1Discontinued Japan
now
03

From north to south

Kansai17Chubu13Kanto2Tohoku4Hokkaido7Kyushu4Chugoku3

The useful shelf

Bottles you can start with

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The single most useful thing we can tell you is which bottles are ordinary stock in Japan. These are not allocated, not lottery-only, and not marked up to collector prices. If you are visiting, these are the ones worth space in your luggage.

A clearer vocabulary

“Rare” is not a buying condition

Check the standard ↗

“Rare” means something specific here. A bottle sold by application lottery is not merely scarce — you cannot walk into a shop and buy one even if you live in Osaka. Overseas listings rarely make that distinction.

On the shelf Stocked by ordinary Japanese liquor shops and supermarkets at list price.
27 bottles listed
Allocated Shops receive limited quantities. Sells out, but turns up if you look.
16 bottles listed
Lottery only Sold by application lottery (抽選). You cannot simply walk in and buy one, even in Japan.
3 bottles listed
Secondary market only No longer distributed. Available only through auction and resale.
3 bottles listed
Discontinued Production has ended. Remaining stock only.
1 bottle listed

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